Chapter 35: Konoha Year 54

"1990... 1991... 1992..."

On the second floor of an apartment building in Konoha...

A boy around six or seven years old was exercising shirtless, his body drenched in sweat as he repeatedly performed sit-ups.

The mat beneath him was already soaked.

Suddenly, the door opened.

An eleven- or twelve-year-old girl walked in, waving a document excitedly.

"Naruto! I just picked up your enrollment notice from the Third Hokage!"

"You’re going to the Ninja Academy!"

In the blink of an eye...

It was already Konoha Year 54, with April fast approaching.

Nothing major had happened during the past few years.

Life hadn’t exactly been uneventful, but there hadn’t been any major upheavals either.

Every day, aside from training his body at home, Naruto spent his time inside the seal sparring with Minato Namikaze.

Although his physique and strength had improved considerably...

Despite years of sparring, he still hadn’t managed to win even once.

Of course, their matches were strictly controlled.

They only exchanged physical blows and stopped before either side suffered serious damage.

After all...

It wouldn’t be much fun if Naruto accidentally dispersed Minato’s consciousness entirely.

Izumi had also grown considerably during these years.

Whenever she encountered difficulties with ninjutsu, she would enter the sealed space and receive guidance from Minato.

Her strength was now considerably greater than that of an ordinary Jōnin.

Yet...

She was still officially a Konoha Genin.

On the surface, she spent her days accepting D-rank missions—

Catching cats.

Weeding fields.

Picking fruit.

Doing whatever odd jobs Konoha needed.

All to earn some extra money for their living expenses.

Since she wasn’t sent on combat missions, there was no need to constantly purchase weapons, soldier pills, explosive tags, emergency medicine, and other supplies.

The rewards from D-rank missions were more than enough to support the two of them.

But...

A shinobi who never shed blood or experienced life-and-death combat couldn’t truly grow.

So during this period, under Minato’s guidance, Naruto had occasionally taken Izumi to the underground bounty station to accept assassination missions.

They had also earned quite a substantial amount of money from them.

In short...

They needed strength.

And they needed money.

"1999... 2000!"

"Whew!"

After completing two thousand sit-ups, Naruto sprang to his feet.

A man’s lower back is the foundation of his strength.

Even at such a young age, Naruto already understood the importance of training his core and lower back.

"It’s already time for school?"

He picked up the towel beside him and wiped the sweat from his body, looking slightly surprised.

Izumi explained,

"It’s already the end of March."

"The Ninja Academy starts on April 1st."

"April 1st..."

"Got it."

Naruto paused before nodding in realization.

Japan starts the school year in April.

I thought it would be September.

"Okay. I’ll take you to school that day."

"For now, go take a shower."

"I’ll make dinner."

"After we eat, I’ll take you shopping for some clothes and school supplies."

"You need to look handsome on your first day!"

"And if you don’t have nice stationery, your classmates will look down on you!"

"Understand?"

Izumi sounded like an overprotective mother as she pulled clean clothes from Naruto’s wardrobe.

She kept pointing her finger while lecturing him endlessly.

Naruto waved dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

"Stare."

A dangerous glint suddenly appeared in Izumi’s eyes.

Naruto’s heart immediately skipped a beat.

He quickly took the clothes from her hands.

"Okay, Izumi-chan!"

Then he immediately sprinted into the bathroom.

"Pfft!"

Izumi finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

She burst out laughing.

...

Afternoon

After eating lunch, the two walked through Konoha’s streets.

As Naruto had gradually grown older...

Most villagers had stopped openly insulting him.

They also no longer dared refuse to sell him things.

The Cloud War several years earlier had served as a warning to the villagers.

These days...

When they saw Naruto walking through the streets, most simply ignored him.

Of course...

As the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Naruto could still sense the hostility some villagers buried deep within their hearts.

So whenever they went shopping...

Naruto would first sense whether the shopkeeper harbored any malice toward him.

Only then would he enter.

Izumi understood his ability as well.

She would only enter a store after Naruto gave her the nod.

If you don’t like me, why should I give you my money?

The profit from a single outfit or set of stationery wasn’t much.

But this was about attitude.

More than an hour later...

Naruto was carrying several shopping bags.

All the stationery they needed had been purchased.

He had also bought several new outfits.

"Naruto, you really didn’t like that outfit?"

"I thought it looked really cute."

On the way home, Izumi was still thinking about the pink T-shirt with cartoon prints they’d just passed on.

"You could buy a larger size and wear it yourself."

Naruto sincerely offered his suggestion.

"Uh... I’ll pass."

Izumi was immediately speechless.

As a shinobi...

How could she possibly wear something that adorable?

She only wanted to see Naruto wearing it.

The two continued chatting casually as they walked.

When they reached a corner and turned...

Naruto suddenly noticed an elderly man walking toward them.

His expression changed slightly.

Genno.

Izumi, who had been paying close attention to Naruto for years, immediately noticed something was wrong.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

Naruto shook his head.

He quietly sensed his surroundings.

Several months after returning from the Cloud War three years ago...

The ANBU responsible for monitoring Naruto had been replaced by an old acquaintance.

Yamato.

During the first year, the surveillance had been extremely strict.

Two ANBU operated every shift.

Naruto had no idea whether it was because his seal had remained perfectly stable...

But over the past year or so, the surveillance had gradually become much looser.

There was one ANBU during the day.

And another at night.

During the day, Yamato usually followed from a considerable distance.

At night, the other ANBU would simply monitor from afar.

As long as Naruto didn’t leave the apartment, they considered the job done.

Unlike before...

The night-shift ANBU no longer periodically approached the window to check on him.

Naruto confirmed that Yamato was now more than a hundred meters away.

Possibly even two hundred.

And after turning the corner, the surrounding walls completely blocked Yamato’s line of sight.

A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on Naruto’s face.

As he passed the old man...

He casually slapped the man’s hand.

Then immediately slipped behind Izumi.

He stuck out his tongue at the old man playfully.

"I’m sorry."

"Children can be a little mischievous."

"I’m really sorry."

Under the old man’s confused gaze, Izumi immediately bowed apologetically.

Her voice was soft and timid.

The old man merely nodded.

He said nothing and continued walking.

By the time Yamato arrived...

The three of them were already walking normally in different directions.

As though the brief encounter...

And the silent exchange between them...

Had never happened at all.